Monotowns, Economic Crisis, and the Politics of Industrial Restructuring in Russia

Author(s): Stephen Crowley
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder, Aglaya Snetkov
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 164
Pages: 7-10
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2015

During the 2008-09 economic crisis, Russia's monotowns grabbed widespread attention as potential sources of social unrest. Will such worries resurface under the current economic conditions? While fears about monotowns were exaggerated during the last economic crisis, Russia's leadership remains concerned. As a result, we can expect the government to continue subsidies, both explicit and hidden, that seek to maintain employment and avoid social conflict, but that preserve the country's inefficient post-Soviet industrial landscape.

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